Here at the End
by BofBanoff
Summary: [Skate] When rescue comes, so do the FBI, and when one decides to shoot first and ask questions later, it could be fatal...


**Here at the End**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Lost.**

**Summary:** (Skate) When rescue comes, so do the FBI, and when one decides to shoot first and ask questions later…

Note: I'm from the UK and have only seen up to House of the Rising Sun, so nothing after that in here, although I do know one or two spoilers (like the name of Claire's baby). So if things don't quite match up with the rest of the season, ignore it! And I haven't used much medical stuff in here because I don't know any, so please excuse any glaring mistakes (although I hope there aren't many).

* * *

A gentle TH-WAP! TH-WAP! invaded the hustle and bustle of the beach. Jin looked up from catching fish. Locke stopped sharpening his knives. Jack squinted and looked up. 

_Oh my God, what is that? A giant bird? No…shit, it's a helicopter!_

"Guys!" he shouted. "Guys, look! We're being rescued! Get everyone on the beach!"

As he said this, he glanced at the helicopter again. It looked official, like a government chopper, as far as he could tell, but this didn't surprise him.

_They've sent in the big guns. About damn time. I mean, it's been four years. Obviously our government have a lot to improve, _Jack decided_. Did they think there wouldn't be many of us left? Because there's no way that helicopter will fit even half of us in there._

"Dude!" Hurley pointed at the horizon. "It's a boat, man. Looks like a fucking cruise liner to me!"

Jack looked. Hurley was right, it _was_ big. The helicopter must have taken off from the ship itself to come ahead and gather the survivors.

He scanned the beach for any sign of Kate. Ah, there she was, ducking out from the forest foliage, being led by the hand by an impatient Sawyer. Both looked a little flushed.

"Sawyer!" she laughed, a sexy, throaty laugh that made every guy shiver. "Where's the fire!"

Jack looked away. Sawyer had got the girl and god, it smarted.

"_I don't deserve you Jack," Kate had said by way of explanation. "Me and Sawyer, we just…fit. We're two of a kind." She had looked at him, eyes full of remorse for hurting him. It had taken Jack a long time to get over this to the extent he had, and even threatening Sawyer and brawling with him in front of everyone hadn't helped. Kate and Sawyer had stood, together, heads held high, as if to dare anyone to challenge them._

Sawyer had hurt Kate, and vice versa, over the years. Their relationship was a volatile one, but there was a deep connection there that not even Jack could deny.

So Jack had slowly withdrawn from them, not wishing to be a third wheel, even after they had all somewhat made up. He had become firm buds with Hurley, and had even had a brief fling with Lauren, a survivor who was quite content to remain in the background, but was essential to keeping the camp ticking along. It hadn't lasted in the long run.

When he saw Kate and Sawyer emerging from the forest, Kate giggling (_she never giggles _thought Jack irritably) he was struck with jealousy. (_Did they have to make it so damn obvious?)_. Jack could go without sex, but that didn't mean he wanted anyone else to be doing it. Especially _them_. Anyone else he could probably turn a blind eye to, but because it was _them_, it stung. He didn't even know if he liked her anymore, in that way, but how would he know? Kate and Sawyer's relationship had caused a rift between Jack and Kate the size of the Pacific, not that Sawyer seemed too broken up over it. They were strangers, more so than when they first met. Jack supposed he should be happy for her, but he wasn't.

Jack turned his attention back to the action on the beach. Members from the caves were pouring out onto the beach. Claire and Charlie had hastily thrown all their meagre belongings into a holdall which Charlie carried as well as his guitar. Claire held Aaron on her hip.

"Big birdie!" The four year old pointed at the helicopter that was rapidly approaching them.

"That's right little fella. That's a helicopter. It's going to take us home," replied Charlie, trying to keep calm, but excitement bubbling up inside him.

The helicopter landed awkwardly in the sand, finally resting clumsily at an angle.

Jack looked over at Kate She had walked a few steps in front of Sawyer out of curiosity, but stopped. Her face had gone ghastly white, and she looked poised to run.

Four uniformed men streamed out of the helicopter, guns prominently out, quickly searching and surveying their surroundings.

Kate stumbled, and turned to run.

"Kate."

Sawyer grabbed her by the shoulders and the lack of nicknames made her start. She was shaking, he realised. She was muttering "No, no, not now…"

"Kate Austin, you are under arrest for manslaughter…" one of the agents reeled off her crimes as another tried to forcibly remove her from Sawyer's grasp and handcuff her.

Chaos ensued.

"You ain't having her, get OFF of her!" growled Sawyer, savagely punching any part of his body his fist could meet, holding fast to Kate. He'd never seen her look so utterly terrified in his life and it scared him shitless.

Kate meanwhile was struggling against the agent's grip on her. Between a punch form Sawyer and a well aimed kick from her, the agent sprawled onto the ground.

The remaining officers were pointing their guns at them, and more still at the survivors who had become unwilling spectators, but they remained stationary. They started spouting words such as "dangerous" and "wanted" to the crowd, but Sawyer just held Kate to him for a second, and she grabbed a fistful of his shirt. Their hearts were beating a mile a minute.

They never saw the agent they had kicked to the floor raise his gun.

BANG!

The shot rang out and silenced the crowd. Sawyer stood stock still, not realising that he hadn't been hit until Kate slumped against him.

A strange sound, somewhere between a gasp and a choke, was emitted, but as he held Kate limply in his arms he couldn't for the life of them tell which one of them it was.

"Kate!" he cried out helplessly.

Kate's dead weight forced Sawyer to lower her to the ground. He shook her slightly, his panic building to an unbearable level.

"Kate! Kate! C'mon Freckles, stay awake now, huh? Don't you give up on me, you hear?"

He placed his fingers on her white tank top where blood was blossoming like a flower. Sawyer didn't notice the guns pointing at his crouched figure, he didn't notice the screams from the others, he only noticed her.

"Sawyer," Kate croaked. She grasped his hand with hers.

"Kate," Sawyer whispered, angrily brushing away tears as he pulled his shirt over his head, vainly attempting to stem the flow of blood.

"It hurts, Sawyer."

"I know. I'm so sorry sweetheart. Jack!" He yelled the last desperately, not caring that they didn't speak anymore, not caring about anything but her.

There was no response so he yelled again. "Jack! Help her, for God's sake, do something!"

"Sawyer," whispered Kate, so weakly Sawyer had to strain to hear it, "am I going to die?"

"No! No, course not sweet cheeks, Doc'll sort you out." He tenderly swept a stray hair off her face.

"I love you, Sawyer."

"Don't say that. Don't give up on me, baby. JACK!" Sawyer was screaming at him by now. "Where the hell are you?"

For the first time since the shot he took his eyes off Kate. Jack was standing not two feet away. A tear was silently making its way down his face, (and why the fuck was he not doing anything) and then Sawyer saw the gun that had shot his lover pressed tightly against Jack's head.

"I advise you to give her up," warned the agent who had fired the gun. "She's a killer. She's not worth it."

"Bastard," whispered Sawyer. He whirled around to face the others.

"She's dying here! Why won't you help her?" As Sawyer addressed the other agents his voice cracked and he didn't even care, as long as they _did_ something.

He didn't expect Claire to start talking.

"Help her." Her voice wavered, but continued. "She's my friend. We've been stuck on this Godforsaken island for who knows how long and she's never done anything to us. She's delivered my baby. She's found food for us. She's helped us. Is that a crime? Does that make her deserve to lie there dying while you do _nothing _about it?"

Her throat closed up with tears, she could speak no longer and she just hoped her diversion worked. It had.

Sayid, Locke, Jin, Charlie, Michael, and a teenage Walt worked in tandem by tackling the agents simultaneously and ridding them of their guns.

"Now the tables are turned," said Sayid in his thick accent. Aiming one of the guns at the agent who had shot Kate he said to Jack, "Go. Hurry."

"What's happening to Aunty Kate?" asked Aaron quietly. "She got a boo-boo?"

"Yeah." Charlie solemnly looked at the child he called his. "A bad boo-boo."

Jack had run over to Kate, and was surveying the damage done to her. He couldn't deny it. He _did_ still have feelings for her. The stopping of his heart when the gun had fired had confirmed that. But this was no time to think of this. Kate had passed out in the commotion and it was imperative to work quickly.

"Sawyer. Sawyer look at me," Jack instructed, trying to calm down the agitated Southerner. "He shot her ribs. It looks like some have shattered. From her breathing it seems her lungs haven't been punctured but we need to move her as little as possible so any little shards of bone don't puncture. Okay? Hold the shirt over her, and apply pressure gently, so she doesn't lose too much blood."

He stood up and walked over to Sayid who still had his gun trained on the ringleader.

"She needs a hospital, or some kind of operating theatre immediately, to remove the bullet. What are the chances of the boat having anything on board?"

"That ship is military. There should be the correct supplies." He nudged the agent with his gun. "You. You will fly the helicopter to the ship so we can help her. Go."

Sayid frogmarched the man and another agent onto the chopper. Charlie ran towards Jack, carrying a stretcher and a first aid kit they had made for their makeshift infirmary.

"Here," he panted.

Jack and Sawyer proceeded to gently move Kate onto the stretcher and onto the helicopter.

"Jack." Sawyer using his first name startled him more than the upwards sensation of the helicopter did. "If she dies…"

"She won't." (_She can't_.)

"I stopped her running. This is my fault. She could die because of me."

"You couldn't have known."

The kindly look on Jack's face made Sawyer want to puke so he returned his gaze to Kate, making sure she was still breathing.

The ride seemed to last an eternity. Sawyer was too preoccupied with Kate to scowl at Jack's incessant foot tapping. Jack looked at him in wonder.

"You really love her don't you?"

"Freckles? Yeah. More'n anything." Sawyer's voice was unusually gruff with sadness and grief and mind-numbing fear.

"It must kill you that you can't help her."

"Is that a dig, Doc? Cause sweet cheeks here means a _helluva_ lot more to me than this pissing match between us ever will, and maybe this'll surprise you but I'm not too proud to ask for your help if it'll save her. Because I know that I'm no hero but I love her."

Jack didn't know what to say to this so he remained silent for a moment.

"I'll do all I can," he finally offered.

Sawyer took his eyes off Kate and nodded. He held out his hand. Jack reached over and they shook hands.

"Save her Jack," he whispered. Jack had never seen Sawyer so lost and forlorn and so utterly devastated.

Sayid poked his head into the back.

"I have used the radio to communicate with the ship. They are prepared. Someone will meet you. The guns were supposed to be there just for scare tactics. The agent will be heavily punished." Sayid shrugged as he relayed the message, as if he didn't know what else to say. "We will be landing now."

_Save her Jack_.

Kate's life was in his hands now. He prayed he could save her.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Kate woke up with a start.

"Sawyer."

"Hey there sweetheart." His familiar Southern drawl comforted her as she remembered the events that had transpired. "Finally decided to join the land of the living?" His usual swagger was missing, and he murmured "don't scare me like that again, you hear?"

Kate tried to smile, but looking around the utilitarian room and feeling the slight bobbing of the ship, she was suddenly very aware of her situation.

"Sawyer," she whimpered slightly, hating herself for this weakness, "they got me."

He looked confused for a minute, but then said, "yeah, but you'll be ok, Doc's a real hero now."

"No, I mean, they…captured me. I don't wanna go to jail Sawyer." She sounded scared, and so unlike Kate, that Sawyer's heart hurt. He set his jaw, he was determined. He held her small hand in his and whispered fiercely.

"They had no right to shoot you Freckles. No right at all. And four years stuck in the middle of fucking nowhere? That's not prison enough? We will fight this all the way Kate." The seriousness in his voice made her listen, made her (almost) believe him. "And if that doesn't work, we'll go on the run. You and me. Together. Ain't like I've got anything to go back home to."

"Sawyer…"

"No arguing Freckles. My choice. And now I better let Doc check you over. He's been hovering outside like a schoolgirl waiting to catch a Backstreet Boy come outta the bathroom."

Kate smiled as Sawyer departed on that strange description, but not before he leant over and met her lips in an (almost) chaste kiss.

Maybe Sawyer _was_ right. Maybe things would work out. And if not they'd keep running. Together.

And was it really running away when you had all you ever wanted with you no matter what?

xxxxxxxxxxx

So….my first Lost fanfiction. Please, please, please review!


End file.
